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A POSTCARD: Matthew Berenbaum Launches a New Dance Company, Homo Veritas Dance Theatre, with a City Center Studio Season!

Published on July 26, 2017photo courtesy of HVDT

Dear Dance Enthusiast,

It might be hot outside, but it is even hotter in the studio this summer. Homo Veritas Dance Theatre is getting ready to launch, with our first shows coming up at City Center Studios August 5 and 6 at 7:30 p.m.!

As you can imagine, these last few weeks have been good, but BUSY. The one downside to being the Artistic and Executive Director of a company like HVDT is that I am ultimately responsible not only for creating the work and rehearsing the dancers, but also for things like reserving rehearsal and performance space and promoting the show. Despite all the craziness, it has been a lot of fun, and it is definitely going to be worth it.

Matthew Berenbaum in Rehearsal with his newly formed Homo Veritas Dance Theatre

The company itself was a very recent idea – in the beginning, all I wanted was to get my choreographic ideas out of my head and into the world, if even just onto rough rehearsal video. But, once I got dancers into the studio to help me accomplish this, I realized that if they were going to put in the effort to learn my work, they deserved the chance to perform it – and the company grew from there. As an unknown choreographer and someone just starting my career, it has been hard to find dancers willing to come and audition for me. What has been a pleasant surprise, though, is that the majority of the dancers I have auditioned seem to enjoy the work I create for them. Knowing that makes me tremendously proud of the work, and it also gives me hope that my work has quality and will resonate with audiences.

Matthew Berenbaum in Rehearsal with his newly formed Homo Veritas Dance Theatre

There’s no real overarching story to this show. That said, even though each piece has its own story and is essentially self-contained, there are a few themes that run through the show. The first theme is love and the different ways we express, feel, and are affected by it – each audience member will relate to that in their own way and bring their own perspectives, which could add a fascinating element to the performance itself. The second theme, which is to me the more important of the two, is transitions – leaving home for the first time, beginning adulthood, etc. I think the idea of going through that sort of transition is really relevant to us as a company as we prepare for this show, because we are now going from being a rehearsal company or a repertory company to a performing company, which is a huge change for us, and a little bit frightening, but still a very exciting time in our short history.

Oh, and why did I call the company, Homo Veritas? The title brings to mind the concepts of integrity and intelligence, two qualities that are very important both to me personally and to my choreography.

Back to work! We’ve got a lot to do and a little bit of time! See you soon!
Matthew.

Homo Veritas Dance Theatre is proud to announce its FIRST EVER full-evening performance!
On Saturday and Sunday, August 5 and 6,
Both performances will begin at 7:30 PM, in Studio 4 at New York City Center
(130 W. 56th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues).
Tickets are $20 each - at the door only

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